The European Week of Regions and Cities is an annual conference dedicated to cohesion policy held in Brussels. This year, EU-funded projects managed by the European Research Executive Agency (REA) will join the event’s four-day agenda, bringing together researchers and specialists from various areas of expertise.
After a successful edition in 2022 - where the event reached a record number of almost 20 000 participants, 272 sessions and 528 partners - this year’s edition will continue to discuss common challenges for Europe's regions and cities. By bringing together different socio-political actors, the event will examine possible solutions on the debate on EU cohesion policy in a wider context. This includes discussions on achieving the ambitious goals of the EU Missions by 2030 – goals REA is helping achieve through its support to over 2 400 EU-funded projects.
The European Week of Regions and Cities will also include other partner events and side events taking place in different European regions. Discover the programme, pick the event you wish to follow, and register online.
- innovation
- Monday 9 October 2023, 09:00 - Thursday 12 October 2023, 18:00 (CEST)
Practical information
- When
- Monday 9 October 2023, 09:00 - Thursday 12 October 2023, 18:00 (CEST)
- Languages
- English
Description
The projects involved in this year’s events are funded through Horizon Europe - the EU’s research and innovation framework programme - or its predecessor Horizon 2020.
Key inclusive development strategies for Lifelong Learning
10 October 2023 09:00 – 18:30
The KIDS4ALL project develops a "buddy collaboration" (guided/intentional pairing of learners) scheme with the lifelong and life-wide dimension of learning in formal, informal and non-formal educational contexts. Children involved in the project will work on learning content related to eight Lifelong Learning competences through theoretical understanding, applied contents and interactive co-creation activities, where they will develop authorship and agency and enhance their intercultural skills. The REFUGE-ED and New ABC projects will also contribute to this event.
Citizen science and co-design tools for cities
10 October 2023 9:30-11:00
How can local communities help in creating more sustainable and liveable cities? This participatory lab will explore 10 citizen science and co-design tools that were developed as part of several EU-funded projects including JUSTNature, DivAirCity, Upsurge, I-CHANGE, Impetus, CompAir, PSLifestyle, GREEN SCENT, SOCIO-BEE and AURORA.
Climate-neutral cities by 2030: delivering results through multi-stakeholder engagement
10 October 2023 14:30 – 16:00
This workshop explores the convergence of co-creation, social innovation, social inclusion, and climate neutrality as a pathway to sustainable development. It will delve into the potential of co-creation as a means of fostering social innovation towards climate neutrality. Co-creation is a collaborative approach that encourages stakeholder participation in the design and implementation of solutions, with the objective of producing more sustainable and socially beneficial outcomes. The MOSAIC project will feature at this event.
Assessing the impact of Horizon 2020 funding on social innovation and going beyond
11 October 2023 11:30 - 13:00
Social innovation representatives from the Commission will present a report analysing the impact of Horizon 2020 funding on social innovation. This will serve as a basis for launching an open consultation on future programming and funding. Experienced project coordinators will share their experience in past and current framework programmes and their vision for the future. Participants will engage in a World Café on the future of social innovation, focusing on impact, synergies, upscaling, and new ideas. The Head of Department - Future Society, Minna Wilkki, will speak at the event.
Boosting circularity & seeking industrial-urban symbiosis through local-regional collaboration
11 October 16:30-17:30
Many cities and regions are developing circular economy strategies but are still facing challenges in their progress towards circularity. The European Commission's Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) and the Hubs for Circularity (H4C) aim to bridge this gap by facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing. This session will inform you about the services they provide to EU cities and regions and present innovative circular solutions.
Securing and restoring our waters at a regional and local level
11 October 2023 16:30 – 17:30
In this workshop, we discuss the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters". This Mission aims to protect and restore the health of our oceans and waters by combining innovative forms of governance and cooperation between regions with ways to better reach wider range of stakeholders. Representatives of regions and cities present the plans they have adopted to adhere to the Mission’s objectives. R&I outcomes to improve monitoring and detecting water pollution at the local level will also be presented. The EU-funded aqua3s project is featuring in the workshop.
Achieving Climate Neutral Cities through the Regeneration of Historic Urban Areas
12 October 9:30-11:00
The session discusses how to regenerate Historic Urban Areas in the co-creation of Climate Neutral City Contracts (CCC) for the EU Mission on Cities. A fresh new Policy Report issued by Horizon 2020 Innovation Actions CENTRINNO, T-Factor and HUB-IN will be introduced. Then policymakers, city-makers, and researchers will discuss three main operational challenges in CCC (creative spaces; temporary uses; heritage revitalisation) in peer-learning exercises.
